22 Things You Never Knew About Sia

22 Things You Never Knew About Sia

She’s been called “inscrutable,” “enigmatic,” and “grandly idiosyncratic.” Sia Kate Isobelle Furler doesn’t really see herself as any of those grandiose synonyms, all of which basically equate to “unknowable by the general public in the intimate way we want to think we know celebrities." The singer-songwriter has a very good reason for being fame-averse and “socially phobic.”

Being in the public eye and going on tour pushed her to the brink of suicide in 2010. For Sia, having a private life is an absolute necessity for her mental health. It’s what allows her to continue to write megahit pop songs for herself and other artists.

In the past, Sia’s unwillingness to tour earned her the reputation of being difficult. (She’ll throw out a series of “ludicrous” demands to avoid a tour even coming to fruition, swearing it’s for her emotional well-being.) Now that she’s opened up about her personal struggles with addiction and mental illness — and proven she’s one of the most talented singer-songwriters of the past decade — Sia has more than earned the ability to hide her face in whatever cheeky manner she wants. She’s also entitled to shun publicity. Really: It’s in her record contract.

On January 29, Sia will release her seventh LP, This Is Acting. The album is composed of songs she originally wrote with other artists in mind, but they passed on. The first two tracks, “Bird Set Free” and “Alive,” were written for Adele’s 25. “Cheap Thrills,” track six, was intended for Rihanna. “Footprints,” track nine, was meant for Beyoncé. The intended recipient of “Unstoppable,” which Sia released on January 20, hasn’t been specified, but the powerful lyrics will surely earn it a spot on your pump-up playlist.

Since Sia is so inscrutable, though, you might not know that much about the woman underneath the blonde bob. In honor of This Is Acting’s release, we rounded up some lesser-known facts about the extremely talented star from down under.